Index, record, and filing card.



M. HERMANN. INDEX, RECORD, AND FILING GARD.

. APPLIUATION FILED JULY 24,1912. 1,043,049, Patent-.ed oct.29,1912.

'lill INveNToR mx ATTORN EY M. HERMANN."

INDEX, RECORD, AND FILING GARD.'

ABPLIGATION FILED JULY 24,1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2v wlTNEssEs 27' Jg' A17 M www ATTORNEY EAX HEBM'ANNLOF SAETA ROSA, CALIFORNIA.

timex,- anconn, AND FILING om.

applicati-melee .my 24, 1912. serial ne( 711,289.'

4 'Specification of Letterslatent. Patented Oct .29,1912.

- 5 State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements inlndex, Record, and

F iling'Cards, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to improvements in cards, such as are used for card indexes, or card records in general.

The object of the invention is to provide a tag attachment for cards which is removable and adjustable, and especially adjustable transversely of. the card, so that the tags may be arranged in any desired position transversely of the cards to be easily visible from the front, and, new cards can be so inserted, that the tag of the new cardv will not overlie and conceal tags of the cards in the rear.

A further object of the invention is to provide an attachment which can not be accidentally moved out of place, and, furthermore,so arranged that the card having the attachment thereon will be of the same thickness at the top as at the bottom, so that a series or pile of cards will lie parallel with one another, and may be placed convenientlyl in a suitable receptacle, and also readily turned over to read their contents.

One principal use for which my invention is applied is that of an adjustable card ledger, in the manner which will be hereinafter explained.

ln the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a front view of a series of cardsprovided with my improved attachment'and used as ledger cards; F ig. 2 is a broken rear view of a single card; `Fig. 3 is an enlarged broken vertical section on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2; Figs. L.tand 5 are broken frontand rear views respectively of a modification of my invention; Figs. 6 and 7 are similar views of a further modification; Figs. 8 and 9 are similar views of la further modification; Figs. 10 and 11 are similar views of a further modication; Fig. 12 isa front view of a loose leaf ledger sheet to which my invention is applied; Fig. 13 is a broken front view of the tag attachment used in connection therewith.

Referring to the drawing, 1 indicates a card which may be used for any purpose desired but is here shown as a ledger card.

' Said card is formed near its upper horizontal edge with a series of horizontal slits 2, there being here shown four such slits, although any suitable number may be formed therein. Near its lowery horizontal edge the card is formed with a series of pairs fof horizontal slits 3, 4, the number of s uch palrs corresponding to the number of the slits 2, there being here shown four pairs.

6 indicates my improved tag attachment which is made of cardboard of approximately the same thickness as the card itself, and,v is of a rectangular form, its width depending upon the width of t-he card 1 and the number of slits 2, and being `of length sufficient to form, at its upper end a projection or tag -7 above the card, for the inscription of a suitable index 8. The length .0f said tag attachment is greater than the height ofthe card by the height which it is requlred to give to the tag projecting above the card 1. In the respective ends of this attachment 6 there are cut two tongueshaped portions 9 and 10. Each tongue is formed with two converging sides, the sides of the upper tongue 9 converging downward and those of the lower tongue 10 converging upward. In yother words, the tongue 9 is secured to the attachment by the uncut part thereof at its upper end, and the tongue 10 is sosecured by an uncut part at its lower end. These tongues are thus adapted to be raised outv of the plane of the attachment from which they are cut.

The tongues 9 are adapted to engage thc slits 2 and the tongues 10 to engage the slits 3 and 4:. In this arrangement it will be seen that there are no projecting ends liable to engage other parts of the cards. Since the slits 2, 3 and 4 formed in the card are exactly of the proper length to receive said tongues, the attachment, when secured to the card, is prevented from lateral movement.

One advantage of m invention is that when oneside of "a car has been used, the attachment 'can be removed therefrom and replaced on the reverse side, and in any one of four or more positions provided by the slits therein, thus rendering itfas easy to use both sides of the card as one only. lVhile it is true the cards with tags formed integral therewith can be used in the reversed position it is inconvenient to do so, because,

for instance, a card having a tag 'at the first part thereof, would, when reversed, have the tag at the last part thereof. This would I generally make itV diiicult to arrange said card 1n proper relation to the other cards. With` my invention, however, this can' be done, for, when a card is reversed, and the tag is removed therefrom, the tag can be re- 'attachedto the cai-d in the pro er position thereon according to the positions of the tags on the cards immediately in front and behind.

in` Figs. 4 and 5, there'is formed ina card 12 a series lof horizontal slits 13 near its upper edge, and a similar series of .horiupper and lower ends of the attachment respectively. When using this form of the invention, the extension 16 is passed through a lower slit 14 so that the ends of said slit abut against the lower shoulders 18, and the tag 15 is passed through the upper slit 13, so that the ends of said upper slit abut against said upper shoulder 17. This is capable of being used inthe same Way as is the irst form of the invention; the princi- Y pal disadvantage being that the slits require to be longer than before, and consequently the card is weakened near the upper and lower margins'. y

One great advantage of my invention lies in the fact that the card with the attachment secured thereto is of the same thickness at the top as at the bottom, and consequently when said attachmentsare applied to a large number of such cards, they lie lagainst one another in a flat pile and are in convenient position for turning them over, one after another, to ascertain the contents of any one.

In the modification of the inventionl shown in Figs. 6 and 7, tongues 21, 22 are formed at the upper and lower margin' respectively of the card, by means of vertical incisions or slots cut in said card from said margin, and these tongues are adapted to enter horizontal slits 23, 24, cut in the ta attachment near the upper and lower en thereof, the slit 23 near the upper end being sufficiently remote from said end to permit a suficiently large portion of the attachment to project above the upper margin of the card to form a tag.

In the modification shown in Figs. 8 and 9, the upper margin of the card is' formed4 with recesses 26, and the upper end of the attachment is -formed with lateral incisions 27, extending inwardly from the vertical edges of the attachment, the inner ends of said incisions being spaced from one another a distance corresponding to the length of each recess 26 in the upper margin of the In a modification of my invention shown card. There are thus formed at the upper end of the attachment wings 28, which extend in front of the card at the margin of saidrecess. The lower margin of the card is formed with tongues 29 adapted to enter said. horizontal slit 31 in the lower end of the attachment.

Inthe modification shown in Figs. 10 and 11, the upper portion of the card of the attachment is formed in the same way as in the modification shown iii Figs. 8 and 9, and the lower end of the attachment formed in like manner as the upper' end of the attachment in Figs. 8 and 9 with win 32 which extend in front of portions o the lower margin of the card adjacent to a recess 33 in said mar in.

Figs. 12 and 13 ustrate my invention as applied to a sheet 35 of a loose leaf ledger. In this case, the attachment 36 is laid horizontally behind the sheet, and is secured thereto at each end by a tongue .38 which engages slits 39 in the marginal portions of the s eet 35 in like manner as the tongue 10- en ages the slits 3, 4. But, in this case, in or er to prevent the attachment becoloose when the sheet is lifted, its outer end is formed with transverse incisions 41 formlng wings 42, which engage parts of the margin of the sheet 35 having incisions 43.

It is important in all these cases that the attachment should extend the full width or length of the sheet, as the case ma be, in order to maintain the thickness of'tlie sheet the same throughout its width or length. Buti) since these tag attachments are required to e convement relatively to the tags of the other sheets, the end of the attachment might overlie one ofthe holes near the inner margin of the sheet which is formed therein for attachment to the4 back of the loose leaf ledger. For this reason, in such case, I form the end of the tag attachment remote from the tag with slits 37 dividing said end into strips, any number of said strips being adapted to be turned back, or cut away, as shown at Fig. 12, when they would other- .wise overlie said aperture.

It, is very important that any card index or filing system should oer adequate facilities to locate and produce for reference' any account, record, or paper filed away as quickly as possible. My invention o ers great advantages in this respect, as the names are always displa ed in exact alphabetical order and clearly; visible and can therefore be reached in the shortest possible time, limited only to the extent to which .the alphabet on the index is divided and subdivided.

It is understood that the invention may be applied, not only to the cards or sheets indicating the several accounts, or ca `other memoranda, but also tothe cards use as index cards for separating such memoranda cards into groups.

I claim l. A sheet of the character described Aand a tag attachment therefor, consistin of a long narrow strip of sheet material ormed at 1ts ends with means for respectively -e'ngaging opposite marginal portions o the sheet to oppose removal therefrom.

' 2. A sheet of the character described and a tag attachment therefor, consistin of a long narrow ,strip of sheetmaterial ormed at its ends with means for respectively engaging opposite marginal portions of the sheet to oppose removal therefrom, said tag.

attachment being sufficiently long to project at one end beyond one of said marginal portions to furnish a tag.` v

combination with a sheet of, the character described, a tag attachment con-l sisting of' a long narrow strip of sheet material cut at each end thereof to furnish of a long narrow strip of sheet material, op-

posite marginal portions of the sheet, and the ends of the tag attachment, being cut ^to form parts respectively co-engaging each other to secure the attachment to the sheet, A and the tag -attachment extending suiiciently at one end beyond the cut formed therein to form a tag projecting beyond the corresponding margin of the sheet.

In testimony .whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of tWo subscribing witnesses. D

MAX HERMANN.

Witnesses:

J. L. ADAMS,

B. CORRIGE. 

